Northern Territory senator Malarndirri McCarthy will replace outgoing Indigenous Australians minister Linda Burney.
Tony Burke MP has taken the home affairs portfolio and immigration portfolios from Clare O’Neil and Andrew Giles respectively.
Mr Giles and Ms O’Neil copped widespread criticism following the landmark High Court ruling on indefinite detention last year.
They may have lost their portfolios, but managed to remain in ministry.
Mr Giles will take over outgoing Brendan O’Connor’s skills and training portfolio, and Ms O’Neil is now the minister for housing and homelessness.
Along with home affairs and immigration, Mr Burke will also manage multicultural affairs, cyber security and the arts portfolios.
Cabinet changes are as follows:
- Tony Burke MP – Minister for Home Affairs; Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs; Minister for Cyber Security; Minister for the Arts; Leader of the House.
- Julie Collins MP – Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry; Minister for Small Business
- Senator Murray Watt – Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
- Clare O’Neil MP – Minister for Housing; Minister for Homelessness
- Senator Malarndirri McCarthy – Minister for Indigenous Australians
- Pat Conroy MP – Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery; Minister for International Development and the Pacific.
Addressing media on Sunday afternoon, Mr Albanese noted the intense speculation over who would be shafted from cabinet and who would join.
Speaking about Senator McCarthy, he said: ‘That is one you all got right.’
‘Malarndirri McCarthy was the obvious person to move into that portfolio legacy of Linda Burney, while bringing her own lived experience and advocacy to the Cabinet table.’
A reporter asked Mr Albanese whether opposition leader Peter Dutton was correct in saying Mr Giles and Ms O’Neil had failed in their jobs.
The PM replied: ‘Peter Dutton will be negative.’
‘I will give you that big tip. He will be destructive, he will attack people, he will engage in the sort of vilification which is his speciality. His team keep telling him to smile more but I’ve seen no evidence that any of that is working.’
Another reporter asked: ‘Then why did you move Andrew Giles?’
Mr Albanese said: ‘Because there was a reshuffle.’
He continued to defend Mr Giles, saying the High Court decision would have been handed down regardless of which party was in power and it was the immigration and home affairs ministers’ jobs to deal with it.
The PM also announced ASIO would move from Home Affairs to the Attorney-General’s department.
When asked whether he was trying to dismantle the Home Affairs portfolio, Mr Albanese said that was not the case – he was putting it in the same place as the Australian Federal Police.
He was also asked why Labor have scrapped the republic as a portfolio, previously held by Matt Thistlethwaite’s portfolio.
Mr Albanese said he would not hold a republic referendum.
‘I said before I was elected prime minister, I intended to have one referendum. It is the only thing I committed to.
‘Previously, the Labor party went to elections committing to multiple referendums.
‘At the moment, the only person who is committed to another referendum during the next term if he’s elected is Peter Dutton.’